The death of yet another toddler from alleged torture and abuse is a failure of our system, a failure of our social welfare department, and a failure of the public to intervene, when it comes to saving the lives of young children.

On Dec. 27, a 4-year-old died at Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI).

He was alleged to have been beaten and burnt. He had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) on December 23, but succumbed to his injuries three days later.

Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat told reporters that he was awaiting the autopsy report and said that the little boy’s body, including his genitals, bore signs of new and old scars.

The victim had possibly been beaten and burnt with either a flame or a hot object.

The investigations were initially classified under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, but Kamarul said it was later reclassified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

The victim was the youngest of 11 siblings, but when his parents were jailed for a drug offense last September, he was handed over to his third sister to be looked after.

Soon after, the victim’s sister passed her youngest brother to be looked after by a friend.

Who decided that his third sister was responsible for him? The court? Social welfare? His parents?

It was alleged that the friend later told the boy’s sister that she was incapable of taking care of her brother, and suggested that she instead be allowed to look after him.

According to police update, five individuals, the youngest being 15 and the oldest 37, had been arrested to assist in the investigations.

Those arrested included the victim’s 19-year-old sister and her 37-year-old husband.

Why was the little boy passed around like a parcel, and why did it take so long before someone noticed that he had been tortured?

Why was this little boy passed around like in a game of “pass the parcel”?

Why did it take so many weeks before someone noticed that the toddler had been tortured? When the parents were jailed, didn’t the welfare department know of the circumstances of the young boy’s predicament?

Why didn’t they bother to make periodic visits so that social workers could check if he was safe and being cared for responsibly?

There have been numerous cases of young children being abused and tortured, but why have the authorities not learned their lessons?

Is it because we are numb with shock or numbed with indifference because it is just another case of a child being abused?

The victim had been abused and tortured by those who should have been taking care of him, but why is it that the continual abuse went undetected for a long time by neighbors, friends, and immediate family members? Someone must have heard something or noticed something untoward.

Do people not care anymore, or are they afraid of being told-off for being busybodies?

Perhaps if the adults had been more civic-minded and responsible, this young child’s life could have been saved.

One other factor is that this toddler came from a family of 11 children. Is family planning not taught these days?

Even smaller families find it difficult to cope with rising costs of child care, or with bringing up and nurturing a family.

How does a couple with eleven children cope? Did the parents who were jailed for a drug-related offense not think about the consequences of their actions? Who would mind their children, especially the younger ones?

Malaysians must show more concern to the rise in cases of child abuse and more should be done to protect children.

Public awareness needs to be increased, and people should be empowered and encouraged to become personally involved and support families and parents.

Contrary to popular belief, children suffer the most abuse from people they know, such as parents, relatives and babysitters, not strangers.

Child abuse is an offense in Malaysia and is punishable under the Child Act 2001 and the Penal Code 1997.

Offenders may be liable for a maximum fine of RM50k and a prison term of 20 years, or both, depending on the offense. Offenders may also be whipped.

Older children fear the threat of more severe “punishment” by their abusers, and so, very few cases are reported.

Younger children do not have the ability to say that they are abused, so many cases remain undetected.

Are Malaysians not aware of the “Talian NUR” hotline (15999) which is the 24-hour helpline, and enables the authorities to intervene for victims of domestic violence and child abuse?

Calls are handled by trained people in four languages: Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin and Tamil.

If few people are aware of this hotline, then publicity should be increased so that public awareness is also raised.

When will Malaysians learn? The person who shows concern about a child’s safety and well-being cannot be considered a busybody, nor will this person be held responsible for the break-up of a family should the authorities be informed that a child is being tortured.

More importantly, the good Samaritan could end up saving a life.

Source:

1. Malaysiakini: Burn marks among injuries found on boy who died of suspected abuse

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)